Manitoba Bisons

The Manitoba Bisons are the athletic teams that represent the University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. The football team plays their games at Investors Group Field. The soccer team play their home games at the University of Manitoba Soccer Fields while the track and field teams use the University Stadium as their home track. The University has 18 different teams in 10 sports: basketball, curling, cross country running, Canadian football, golf, ice hockey, soccer, swimming, track & field, and volleyball.

Manitoba Bisons
University	University of Manitoba
Association	U Sports
Conference	Canada West Universities Athletic Association
Athletic director	Gene Muller
Location	Winnipeg, Manitoba
Football stadium	IG Field
Arena	Max Bell Centre
Other stadiums	University Stadium (Winnipeg)
Other venues	Investors Group Athletic Centre
Mascot	Billy the Bison
Nickname	Bisons
Fight song	"Brown and Gold"
Colours	Brown and Gold
Website	gobisons.ca

Varsity sports

Ice hockey

Men's ice hockey

The Bisons iced a junior ice hockey team in the Manitoba Junior Hockey League. The Bisons won four consecutive Turnbull Cups as Manitoba junior champions in 1922, 1923, 1924, and 1925.^{[citation needed]}

The 1923 Bisons team won the Allan Cup, Memorial Cup and Abbott Cup, and were inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.^{[citation needed]} The roster included J.A. Wise (Forward), C.E. Williams (Sub Forward), C.S. Doupe (Sub Goal), F. Robertson (Sub Defence), R.E. Moulden (Forward), A.I. Chapman (Defence), Blake Watson (Forward), Murray Murdoch (Captain & Centre), A.T. Puttee (Goal), J. Mitchell (Forward), A. Johnson (Defence), S.B. Field (Secretary/Treasurer), R.L. Bruce (Manager), H. Andrews (President), Hal Moulden (Coach), Walter Robertson (Trainer).^{[citation needed]}

The school's senior ice hockey team won the 1931 World Ice Hockey Championships playing as the University of Manitoba Grads, and were inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame in the team category.^{[citation needed]} The roster included Sammy McCallum, Gordon MacKenzie, Blake Watson, Art Puttee, Frank Morris, George Hill, Ward McVey, Jack Pidcock, Guy "Weary" Williamson.^{[citation needed]}

In December 1934, the university appealed to W. A. Fry and the Amateur Athletic Union of Canada regarding a decision by the Manitoba Amateur Hockey Association (MAHA) which did not require university students be released from a private club team to play for the school team.^[1] Fry agreed with the university, stating that students are under the jurisdiction of the school unless released by the school to play for a club team. He also stated that AAU of C rulings should be respected by affiliated organizations, such as the MAHA.^[2]

The 1965 Bisons won the David Johnston University Cup as the Canadian Interuniversity Athletics Union champions, and were also inducted into the Manitoba Hockey Hall of Fame.^{[citation needed]}

NHL alumni

List of National Hockey League alumni of the Bisons:^{[citation needed]}

• Clint Albright
• Andy Blair
• Art Chapman
• Tom Cook
• Jimmy Creighton
• Stu Grimson
• George Maneluk
• Morris Mott
• Murray Murdoch
• Don Raleigh
• Mike Ridley
• Gus Rivers
• Jack Ruttan
• Wilfie Starr
• Ron Talakoski

Other notable people

• Wayne Fleming, National Hockey League coach, and Manitoba Bisons coach^{[citation needed]}
• Bob Lowes, Two-time Canadian Hockey League Coach of the Year^[3]
• Claude C. Robinson, Canadian ice hockey and sports executive, inductee into the Hockey Hall of Fame and the Canadian Olympic Hall of Fame^[4]
• Barry Trotz, 1994 Calder Cup and 2018 Stanley Cup champion head coach, two-time Jack Adams Award winner

Women's ice hockey

Main article: Manitoba Bisons women's ice hockey

Football

Main article: Manitoba Bisons football

The Bisons football program includes one of only four U Sports football teams to have won back-to-back Vanier Cup championships, having won in 1969 and 1970. In total, the Bisons have won three Vanier Cup national championships and 11 Hardy Trophy conference championships.^{[citation needed]}

Notable players

• Israel Idonije, Nigerian-Canadian professional American football defensive end, primarily for the Chicago Bears of the National Football League.
• David Onyemata, Nigerian-Canadian professional American football defensive tackle for the New Orleans Saints of the National Football League (NFL 2016)^[5]

Soccer

Manitoba Bisons ladies team plays in Canada West’s Universities Athletic Association.^{[citation needed]}

Notable alumni

• Garth Pischke, head coach of Manitoba Bisons men's volleyball^{[citation needed]}
• Taylor Pischke, Canadian beach volleyball player^{[citation needed]}
• Venla Hovi, Finnish Olympic medallist^{[citation needed]}
• Dalima Chhibber, Indian soccer player^[6]
• Gordon Orlikow (b. 1960), decathlon, heptathlon, and hurdles competitor, Athletics Canada Chairman, Canadian Olympic Committee member, Korn/Ferry International partner; competed for the Manitoba Bisons in track and field, and is honored on the Bisons Walkway of Honour.^[7]

Awards and honours

• 2020 Lieutenant Governor Athletic Awards: Kelsey Wog, Swimming^[8]

Athletes of the Year

Year	Female Athlete	Sport	Male Athlete	Sport
2008-09	Stacey Corfield	Hockey	Quin Ferguson	Track and Field
2009-10	Desiree Scott	Soccer	Steve Christie	Hockey
2011-12	Addie Miles	Hockey	Dane Pischke	Volleyball
2012-13	Rachel Cockrell	Volleyball	Blair Macaulay	Hockey
2013-14	Brittany Habing	Volleyball	Anthony Coombs	Football
2014-15	Rachel Cockrell	Volleyball	Al-Haji Mansaray	Track and Field
2016-17	Lauryn Keen	Hockey	Devren Dear	Volleyball
2017-18	Venla Hovi^[9]	Ice hockey	Justus Alleyn	Basketball
2018-19	Kelsey Wog	Swimming	Simon Bérubé	Track and Field
2019-20^[10]	Kelsey Wog	Swimming	Rashawn Browne	Basketball

Canada West Hall of Fame

• Colleen Dufresne, Basketball Coach: Canada West Hall of Fame - 2019 Inductee ^[11]
• Desiree Scott, Soccer: Canada West Hall of Fame - 2019 Inductee ^[12]

References

1. "Varsity Will Appeal Case to Amateur Body". Winnipeg Tribune. Winnipeg, Manitoba. December 10, 1934. p. 10. 
2. "Fry States Rulings Must Be Respected". Winnipeg Tribune. Winnipeg, Manitoba. December 12, 1934. p. 12. 
3. Reid, Chris (2018-05-11). "U of M's Golden Knights". UM Today. Retrieved 2018-08-24.
4. "Has Control of Allan Cup Games". The Winnipeg Tribune. Winnipeg, Manitoba. March 3, 1917. p. 25. 
5. "Former Manitoba Bison David Onyemata nonetheless turning heads in NFL – Winnipeg". Startribunemag. Global News. Retrieved 26 November 2016.
6. Still, Mike; Willis, Braedan (29 August 2022). "After helping her home country, India national team star Dalima Chhibber back with Bisons soccer in 2022". gobisons.ca. Winnipeg, Manitoba: Manitoba Bisons Soccer (University of Manitoba). Archived from the original on 3 September 2022. Retrieved 3 September 2022.
7. "Bisons Walkway of Honour". University of Manitoba Athletics.
8. "Kelsey Wog wins 2020 U SPORTS Female Athlete of the Year". umanitoba.ca/. 2020-06-26. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
9. "Venla Hovi and Justus Alleyn selected as the 2017-18 Bison Sports Athletes of the Year". gobisons.ca/. March 24, 2018. Retrieved May 13, 2021.
10. "2020 Brown and Gold Awards". gobisons.ca/. 2020-03-27. Retrieved 2021-07-24.
11. "Coleen Dufresne WBB Coach". canadawesthalloffame.org/. 2019-10-31. Retrieved 2021-07-23.
12. "Desiree Scott (WSOC Student-athlete)". canadawesthalloffame.org/. 2019-09-03. Retrieved 2021-08-25.

External links

• Official website